Currently-available parachute canopy strap connectors provide a means of connecting the canopy of an aircrew escape parachute to an aircrewman's torso harness. This allows the aircrewman to don the harness prior to entering the cockpit and later easily connect the harness to the ejection seat-mounted parachute during the strap-in procedure. In practice, two such connectors are used--one for each parachute riser. The connectors allow for rapid manual release when normally exiting the cockpit, and upon landing or water entry after ejection and consequent parachute deployment. A connector of this type is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 3,183,568 to Gaylord.
In the Gaylord release, a male strap connector is insertable into a female strap connector housing which mounts a pair of pivotable levers. An outer cover lever is retractable to expose an inner actuating lever for operation. The inner actuating lever is coupled to a notched roll bar through a lost motion connection which permits the roll bar to rotate relative to the actuating lever in one direction only. The male connector carries two parallel locking tangs which are inserted into complementary slots in the female connector to engage and rotate the roll bar out of normally blocking position relative to the actuating lever against a spring bias. This enables penetration of the tangs into a locking position wherein notches in the roll bar mate with grooves in the locking tangs without moving the actuating lever. The interengagement of the locking tangs with the roll bar provide a barrier engagement preventing withdrawal of the male connector.
To disengage the connector parts, rotation of the cover lever enables manipulation of the actuating lever to rotate the roll bar in the other direction out of barrier engagement with the locking tangs and free the male connector for disengagement with the female member. This enables release of the parachute from the harness.
The lost motion connection between the actuating lever and the roll bar enables insertion of the male connector into locking engagement with the female connector without moving the actuating lever. Upon insertion, cam surfaces on the locking tangs rotate the roll bar out of blocking position against spring force sufficiently to enable passage of the tangs. This "plug in" feature greatly facilitates crew-in since it simplifies hookup and provides an audible "click" indication that lockup has occurred.
Inadvertent actuation of the actuating lever is prevented, since the cover lever must be consciously operated to enable operation of the actuating lever to release the connector members. The Gaylord release usage of the pair of interacting opposing levers prevents unintended and inadvertent actuation of the release as a result of windblast or snagging on some portion of the aircraft. However, since the lost motion connection permits relative movement of the roll bar and the actuating lever, there is a remote possibility that shock or vibration could conceivably cause such movement and accidental release.